World Lore

A World Split in Two

The world of Kythar is defined by duality: one half of the world is always day, while the other is always night. These halves are called Vitara and Noctara, respectively.

About 80% of people live in Vitara. When a physical form dies, the soul travels into Noctara, where it is judged based on its most defining trait. Thus, the afterlife is a physical place you can travel to, though the majority of people only see it after death.

Since the sun doesn't wander the skies as in most worlds, timekeeping is done via the moon. Every 24 hours in Vitara, the moon eclipses the sun, signalling a new dawn. For those in Noctara, the moon rising above the horizon is the start of a new day.

The Four Ages

The Age of Creation

Kythar has 3 gods; immense beings who arose from the primordial creation magic that birthed the world. Though worship of these manifestations of power is commonplace, one cannot commune with the them, just as one cannot speak to a force of nature.

Dromar, God of Substance: an indestructable pillar that towers over the Sunlit Wastes. Even without any moving body parts, it still somehow wanders the desert. Dromar is seen as the creator of all that is physical.

Espus, God of Essence: the ethereal form in which all life emerges and eventually returns. It drifts around Noctara, sheding light on the dark world in which it lives.

Logol, God of Balance: a body of mist that encompasses the Divide - the waterfalls that seperate Vitara and Noctara. All souls pass through Logol upon death, which naturally sorts them into the right Path in Noctara.

Over time, the intersection of the gods' influence birthed 10 giants, demigods who would steal creation magic from the gods to create the 10 mortal races. Unfortunately, these demigods rarely saw eye-to-eye.

The Age of Strife

For untold centuries, the demigods roamed the world, terraforming as they went. This resulted in a constantly shifting landscape as they attempted to expand their own territory.

Elguth, the Fire Giant, Demigod of Pandemonium is the most hated of the demigods, responsible for untold destruction and death. He created the tiefling as a means of spreading his fire throughout the world.

Sevaguth, the Sea Giant, Demigod of Peace was one of the few who defended mortalkind... so long as they followed her laws. She created the tritons, who inhabit the vast oceans of the world.

Treguth, the Forest Giant, Demigod of Mercy cultivated the many forests found close to the Divide, and always welcomed those seeking refuge. He created the elves, who are one of only two races that live almost exclusively in Noctara.

Myarguth, the Marsh Giant, Demigod of Malice was feared as the "Twister of Flesh", a torturous being who found amusement in tormenting mortals. She created the ritualistic goblins, who call the vile Myarum swamps home.

Thoguth, the Storm Giant, Demigod of Solitude avoided the war altogether, rarely leaving his mountain peak where he shared his prophecies with his mortal children. The gray-skinned aasimar are an unusual sight, as they too prefer the solitude of their ancestral home.

Hiaguth, the Mountain Giant, Demigod of Solidarity helped bring mortals together in times of uncertainty. She created the dwarves, bold and clever artisans and engineers. They often act as neutral intermediaries, forging equipment and minting currency for all of the world's nations.

Isguth, the Frost Giant, Demigod of Tenacity dedicated his life to hunting and eating his siblings, which he succeeded at twice. His orcs are sturdy creatures that populate the frozen peaks of Noctara.

Roguth, the Desert Giant, Demigod of Transition left earthquakes and dust in her wake, finding beauty in the ever-changing landscape. She created the humans to be just as adaptable as she was.

Imiguth, the Cloud Giant, Demigod of Trickery was a cunning giant known to attack cities without warning and leaving with a full belly. He created the bird-like aarakocra, who once lived in cities built atop the very clouds, though those cities have long since fallen.

Berguth, the Stone Giant, Demigod of Truth lived far below the surface with her gith children, acting as a central conciousness that connected all gith to one another. After a battle involving the Sea Giant flooded their home, the gith emerged to find a world ripe with conflict.

The Age of Rebellion

The Sea Giant, desperate to establish order and apologetic for ruining their home, asked the Stone Giant to join her in forging a world in which all could call home. Other races, inspired by demigods and mortals working as one, quickly joined the endeavor. In under a decade, the Stone Giant's incidental emergence had began a world-wide revolt against the demigods.

Over the next 200 years, the giants were driven to extinction by the increasing momentum of mortalkind, who were now united under the unbelievably efficient Githzerai Empire. Led by the Stone Giant, if one gith learned something, the entire race did. Very quickly, the empire expanded to encompass the entirety of Kythar.

All of this culminated in a march against the Fire Giant and his tiefling, but not even the collective mind of the Githzerai Empire was enough to outmaneuver the utter pandamonium of the Fire Giant. As the Stone Giant lay dying, she unveiled her contingency plan. By severing the battlefield's connection to the three gods, she completely cut it off from magic. In an instant, she and the Fire Giant were unwoven from reality, ending the Age of Rebellion.

With the Stone Giant gone, so too was the gith's connection to one another, leaving only innate psionic abilities - traces of what they had lost. In the span of mere days, their entire empire crumbled to nothing.

The Age of Freedom

With all 10 giants dead, the mortals of Kythar were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered world, and find a new path for themselves.

From this uncertainty rose various nations, not all even surviving until the current day. Aside from minor squabbles, the 4th age, the Age of Freedom, has been fairly peaceful, with no one wishing to invite war back into the world. It is in this age that our story begins.